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Science losing war over evolution? Harvard Screening airs evolution versus ID debate
Harvard Gazette ^ | 02/09/2006 | Alvin Powell, Harvard news Office

Posted on 02/10/2006 10:18:17 AM PST by SirLinksalot

Science losing war over evolution?

Screening airs evolution versus intelligent design debate

By Alvin Powell

Harvard News Office

This just in from the front lines of the battle between evolution and intelligent design: evolution is losing.

That's the assessment of Randy Olson, a Harvard-trained evolutionary biologist turned filmmaker who explored the debate in a new film, "Flock of Dodos: The Evolution - Intelligent Design Circus," which was screened Monday (Feb. 6) at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

Evolutionary biologist and filmmaker Randy Olson greets audience members before the screening of his film. Featuring Harvard faculty as well as scenes shot within the museum, the 90-minute film strikes a humorous tone as it explores the debate, poking a bit of fun at both intelligent design and the scientific community.

Though Olson is obviously on the side of evolution, he exposes the shortcomings of both sides. He portrays intelligent designers as energetic, likeable people who compensate for their shaky theory's shortcomings through organization, personal appeal, and money. Scientists, on the other hand, squander their factual edge through indifference and poor communication skills.

But Olson said there's something deeper than the surface face-off between those on the front lines. The efforts to teach intelligent design in the schools is backed by media-savvy, well-financed organizations like the Discovery Institute that aren't afraid to hire high-powered public relations firms to advance their cause.

And, though the position of evolution supporters has been upheld by the U.S. courts - most recently last year in the Dover, Penn., case - Olson predicted that the battle isn't over.

"What's going on is not being called 'a culture discussion,' it's being called 'a culture war,'" Olson said in a panel discussion after the screening.

The film is centered on the debate over teaching evolution in the schools of Olson's home state of Kansas and also covers the Dover, Penn., case.

Despite his scientific background, Olson handles intelligent design proponents gently throughout the film, giving them a chance to air their views. He offers some anti-design examples, like the fact that a rabbit's digestive tract is designed such that vegetation breaks down in a portion that comes after the part that absorbs nutrients, forcing rabbits to digest their food twice to get any value from the food. Rabbits do this by eating pellets that they've excreted to pass them through a second time, prompting the film to ask, "Where's the intelligent design in this?"

But rather than offering a detailed explanation of evolution or a point-by-point rebuttal of intelligent design, "Flock of Dodos" probes how it is that, 150 years after Darwin published his theories and 80 years after the Scopes Monkey Trial, a debate over evolution is raging in this country.

Though he concludes that intelligent design is a theory that has stalled at what he calls the "intuition stage," Olson says in "Flock of Dodos" that it still appears to have the upper hand.

The movie includes several shots of the inside of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, most recognizably the whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling, complete with remnant pelvic bones attesting to a time when the whale's ancestors had legs.

The movie also includes several Harvard-trained scientists, as well as faculty members Karel Liem, the Henry Bryant Bigelow Professor of Ichthyology, and James Hanken, professor of biology and director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Olson received his doctorate from Harvard in 1984 and was a professor at the University of New Hampshire from 1988 until 1994, when he left the university shortly after receiving tenure to attend film school at the University of Southern California.

Olson participated in a panel discussion after the film with James McCarthy, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography, and New York Times science writer Cordelia Dean. The panel was moderated by Douglas Starr, co-director for Boston University's Center for Science and Medical Journalism.

Dean said the debate has remained alive because the scientific community has failed to make the case for evolution to the ordinary person. That is at least partly due to neglect, she said.

"They often see no necessity to do so, and our society as a whole suffers for it," Dean said.

McCarthy said that may be because of the nature of the scientific subculture itself. Scientists are discouraged from drawing too bold conclusions from their research and from not mentioning sometimes multiple caveats on their findings, traits that make it difficult to craft and deliver a clear, persuasive message to the public.

"It's so counter to our training as scientists to give a flip answer or to give an answer without all the caveats," McCarthy said.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: crevolist; evolution; harvard; id; intelligentdesign; science
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To: RightWingNilla

For me it was Reggie Jackson - and Reggie Bars (remember those?)

A little. I liked Dale Murphy, Steve Garvey, and a few others too.


101 posted on 02/11/2006 10:10:20 AM PST by moog
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To: moog
Get it right. People have bad habits because of free will.

I REFUSE to blame a dolphin for my own stupidity.


I thought we were supposed to blame our stupidity
on Cheetah like Tarzan did. But then Tarzan and
Cheetah were contemporaries so how could one have eveloved from the other? Now you're telling me my stupidity is from Flipper like those goofy kids on the TV show. When you make up your mind would you please let me know. I'm so confused and I just hate being confused about the origin of my species. Next thing you know I'll be confused about the orgin of sexual orentation or is my orangatan?
102 posted on 02/11/2006 11:03:59 AM PST by WKB
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To: WKB
Now you're telling me my stupidity is from Flipper like those goofy kids on the TV show. When you make up your mind would you please let me know. I'm so confused and I just hate being confused about the origin of my species. Next thing you know I'll be confused about the orgin of sexual orentation or is my orangatan? Actually, I forgot the italics. The origin of my species were those famous beings who came here so long ago in flying jelly beans. As for the origin of sexual orientation. That came about when people stopped using compasses and let their um.... "organs"..... be their guide.
103 posted on 02/11/2006 11:06:56 AM PST by moog
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To: moog

very witty bump


104 posted on 02/11/2006 1:35:06 PM PST by RunningWolf (Vet US Army Air Cav 1975)
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To: RunningWolf

First time I've EVER gotten a bump for one of my "replies." :)


105 posted on 02/11/2006 2:41:37 PM PST by moog
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To: SirLinksalot
Though Olson is obviously on the side of evolution, he exposes the shortcomings of both sides. He portrays intelligent designers as energetic, likeable people who compensate for their shaky theory's shortcomings through organization, personal appeal, and money. Scientists, on the other hand, squander their factual edge through indifference and poor communication skills.

I've commented on that observation more generally in a response to Falcon28's reply to PatirckHenry here

The same characteristic or a very closely affine characteristic of psyche that is prone to turn the inttelligent and gifted into Darwinists also makes them poor in literacy and communication skills.

Likewise it may be that a "complementary" charateristic of psyche makes us anti-Darwinists not as fond of the treasure caves of details that the Darwinists love.

We AD's prefer logical analysis first, details secondary. The D's prefer some canned cookbook approach that allows to all the flexibility and freedom in lovingly ordering and reordering their collections of details.

106 posted on 02/11/2006 3:00:19 PM PST by bvw
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To: Falcon28; PatrickHenry

Public Notice is here served to my post prior.


107 posted on 02/11/2006 3:02:22 PM PST by bvw
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To: bvw
You make some very astute observations there Bvw.

Wolf
108 posted on 02/11/2006 5:03:29 PM PST by RunningWolf (Vet US Army Air Cav 1975)
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To: RunningWolf

Thanks! RW. As usual I have included many typos too, begging the reader's indulgences. ;-)


109 posted on 02/11/2006 5:07:19 PM PST by bvw
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To: moog
Nah, I've become de-sythesized to them.

Groan.... again!

110 posted on 02/11/2006 5:09:01 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going....)
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To: little jeremiah
Easier to take the offered help!

HA!

Not ME!!

I can do it all myself!!

--EvoDude

111 posted on 02/11/2006 5:10:52 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going....)
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To: bvw
//I have included many typos too, begging the reader's indulgences//

Careful now, you might send them towards critical mass of darwinistic frothing flailing dementia.

For once you untangle & unite all the strings/noodles of what the cultist theory DOES NOT SAY, there is little perhaps nothing of substance nor anything pertaining to reality left to use.

The whole FSM campaign, intended to be a sacreligious parody ,in reality is an apt reflection on the cult of darwinistic evo-cultism itself.

Wolf
112 posted on 02/11/2006 5:21:55 PM PST by RunningWolf (Vet US Army Air Cav 1975)
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To: moog
good things should be 'bumped'

sniff sniff

Wolf
113 posted on 02/11/2006 5:23:12 PM PST by RunningWolf (Vet US Army Air Cav 1975)
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To: Elsie

Groan.... again!

Only one groan???? :)


114 posted on 02/11/2006 5:40:57 PM PST by moog
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To: RunningWolf

Why do some put the "sniff, sniff" stuff in? I haven't ever been told that one.


115 posted on 02/11/2006 5:47:45 PM PST by moog
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To: RunningWolf
The whole FSM campaign, intended to be a sacreligious parody ,in reality is an apt reflection on the cult of darwinistic evo-cultism itself.

This sentence is starting to sound like me when I try to be "intellectual."

116 posted on 02/11/2006 5:49:12 PM PST by moog
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To: moog
Its a Wolf thing.

But don't ask your hyena though, any hyena that get gets dyed pink just ain't there.

No self respecting house domesticated hyena is going be seen anywhere dyed pink.

Wolf
117 posted on 02/11/2006 6:27:34 PM PST by RunningWolf (Vet US Army Air Cav 1975)
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To: RunningWolf

No self respecting house domesticated hyena is going be seen anywhere dyed pink.

What do you mean? Of course he could be "died" pink.


118 posted on 02/11/2006 6:35:08 PM PST by moog
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To: moog

It was late.....


119 posted on 02/12/2006 4:41:17 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going....)
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To: RunningWolf; moog


If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?


120 posted on 02/12/2006 4:42:02 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going....)
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